A prayer at the site of the 2020 Beirut explosion and a waterfront Mass capped his three-day visit to the Middle Eastern nation with the highest proportion of Christians.
A waterfront Mass in the Lebanese capital capped the pope’s three-day visit to the Middle Eastern nation with the largest proportion of Christians.
The pope, en route to Lebanon after visiting Turkey, said he had discussed with the Turkish president how the Vatican might help Israel and the Palestinian territories find peace.
The pope, arriving in Lebanon, also encouraged that country’s Christians to stay where they are, despite economic, political and security concerns.
The pontiff met political leaders upon his arrival on Sunday and will later say Mass at a Beirut port destroyed by an explosion five years ago.
The pontiff is set to meet political leaders and say Mass at a Beirut port destroyed by an explosion five years ago. It is the first papal visit to Lebanon since 2012.
In Istanbul, Pope Leo XIV will meet the patriarch of the Eastern Orthodox Church to show amity between two of the world’s largest Christian groups.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received Leo XIV on the opening leg of a trip that will also include Lebanon.
The pontiff begins a trip to Turkey and Lebanon on Thursday — the first foreign voyage of his papacy, and his biggest test yet.
The pope chose a region rife with religious divisions and conflict for his first trip abroad. He arrived in Lebanon on Sunday after a few days in Turkey.